Page 23 of Only You
‘It’s a wreck but there’s some good stuff in there.’ Jair handed back the notebook. ‘Bring it to the studio and we’ll figure something out.’
‘I’m down,’ Jones said before biting into a burger. He closed his eyes, savouring the greasy taste. Good food was the easiest thing to remember.
‘Who knows? Maybe this will finally make you give in to my offer.’ Jones groaned but it wasn’t over the food anymore.
‘Man, you are like a dog with a bone. Let that shit go already.’
‘Hell no. You are holding me back from making serious bank,’ Jair exclaimed. ‘My biggest hit isstill“Tied All Up”.’
‘All I did was the bassline.’
‘And that made it a hit and you know it. Honestly, if anyone’s the asshole, it’s you.’ Jones chuckled at his friend’s persistence as he reflected on the track he wrote two years ago.
They were practically shut in the studio for two days over that song, but it was worth it. Months later he would hear it on the radio non-stop. A couple weeks after that, Jair would call him to tell him the song went to number one. It would be months later before a residual cheque would arrive in the mail, making Jones go online to check the song’s credits.
He was listed twice, as a bassist and as a producer.
‘I told you I owe you one for that,’ Jones said. ‘And I paid you back.’ ‘But you won’t join my team as a producer.’
‘Nope.’
‘Jones, for real, you were meant to do this! You got the ear for it,’ Jair insisted.
He shrugged. ‘I’m good on it.’
‘Why? What’s wrong with doing exactly what you’re doing now but better?’
I’ve done it already. But he couldn’t tell his friend about production skills from a past life, nor was it the main reason. Jones was sure he wouldn’t mind being a producer. He would be good at it, but there was more to the job than just the fun stuff.
There was moving to New York and being in the studio for hours. Having to concentrate for days on end on multiple projects, something he already struggled with now as just a bassist. Thinking about handling someone else’s music, their message to the world, with his crowded mind? There was no way he could make that commitment, not without ruining something along the way.
As the silence stretched between them, Jair’s face fell, sensing the direction of his friend’s thoughts. Jones grabbed some fries off his plate to buy time, ignoring the fact that they were cold.
‘Because New York sucks,’ he said with a smirk.
‘You shut the fuck up. It’s the best city in the world,’ Jair declared, truly a Brooklyn native.
The tense atmosphere eased, and Jones was thankful that he would never have to have this conversation with the girl that was starting to creep into his brain.
His phone chirped in his pocket, and he looked. He raised a brow at the string of numbers, wondering if it was a scam message. He froze when he opened it.
Hi! This is Dani from Dr Allen’s class. I got your number from him. Ihave a couple of composition questions and was hoping you can help me.Are you free anytime soon?
His first thought was,I should say no.It would be better for everyone if he made an excuse, said he was travelling over the weekend or moving. Instead, before the possibility could even settle in, he was typing back.
Hey Dani! Yeah, I have some time tomorrow afternoon. Where do youwant to meet?
He pocketed his phone and tried to concentrate on Jair and not the massive decision he’d made.
Chapter Ten
Paris
March 1896
‘I must express my gratitude to Madame Roulet. Her words have done your beauty an injustice.’ Lamont Laurent kissed the back of her hand and smiled. ‘Though, I will say your aura enhances it splendidly.’
These were the first words her betrothed had spoken to her. It made her ill.
